Shaw In an Hour »

Emily Esfahani Smith, a graduate of Dartmouth College, is a journalist and writer in Washington, D.C. Her work on cultural, political, and international affairs has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, National Review, The American Spectator, and the New Criterion.

The optimistic George Bernard Shaw watched happily as the steely modern world made its debut. Shaw hoped that World War I would sweep away the flawed Victorian world and lead to significant social change and a socialist utopia. When postwar Europe gave way to totalitarianism and a second "final war," Shaw's optimism waned. He would later conclude that the twentieth century was a "world of great expectations cruelly disappointed." His changing sentiments were most clearly revealed in his plays: The upbeat Pygmalion in 1916 led to the despondent Heartbreak House in 1919 —- with other didactic dramas coming before, between, and after those two masterpieces.

Setting the playwright in context to his personal life, social, historical and political events, other writers of influence, and more, you will quickly gain a deep understanding of Shaw and the plays he wrote. Read Shaw in an Hour and experience his plays like never before. Know the playwright, love the play!

The book features:

• Shaw in an Hour, the main essay of the book

• Shaw In a Minute, a snapshot chronology

• A complete listing of Shaw's work

• A list of Shaw's contemporaries in all fields

• Excerpts from Shaw's significant works

• An extensive bibliography grouped according to type of reader

• An index of the main essay.

Playwrights in an Hour is a series devoted to the most produced and studied playwrights in the English language, from the Greek masters to contemporary writers, and written by leading authorities in the field. Each short book places the playwright and his or her work in historical,social, and literary context.

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[Playwrights in an Hour Series is] a quick and easy alternative to Wikipedia ...